Summer Love
by EmilyKP
Summary: Troy and Gabriella spend the summer together after East High graduation and grow even closer in the process. Chapter 4 excerpt: "I followed it down here and came to this amazing spot and I thought who better to share this with than you?"
1. The Talk

**This story picks up where High School Musical 3 left off. I am not changing anything that happened in the movies except that Gabriella still lives in Albuquerque after graduation. She did go to the Stanford freshman honors program but it finished just before graduation so she has all summer to live in Albuquerque. This story focuses on that summer and attempts to show a realistic take on what might happen. Keep in mind that this story is rated M. If you cannot or would not like to read sexual depictions, you should turn back now. This story has a lot to do with growing up and becoming an adult. Finally, thank you for reading and supporting my work. This is my first High School Musical fanfiction. I hope you enjoy it.**

Chapter 1: The Talk

Gabriella sighed as she put her cap and gown on the hanger and placed it gently in the closet. She had just returned home with her mom after graduation from East High. She had made so many friends in the year and a half she had gone to school there. Before East High, she had never really been at a place long enough to establish friendships. Sure, she had hung out with people from her classes and the scholastic decathlon team, but she had always felt as if she were some kind of outsider, looking through a glass window at other people's lives. Troy's speech crept into her head. He had said, "One person, if it's the right person, changes us all." She couldn't help the smile that escaped her lips at the memory from that morning.

Finally, she had really made lasting friendships and memories with some wonderful people that saw more in her than just a brain. For the first time in her life, she actually _belonged._ She had a best friend in Taylor McKessie and a boyfriend in Troy Bolton. Troy. Just the thought of him was enough to make her feel warm on the inside. He was so caring, so patient, so sweet, so…loving. He was the perfect boyfriend and he was perfect for her. And when she was with him, he made her feel like she was perfect. She knew she wasn't, of course. She could come up with so many things about herself that she viewed as imperfect but when she was with Troy and she saw the way he looked at her, she felt perfect, like there was absolutely nothing in that moment that she would ever change.

She went downstairs and walked over to her mom, who was busy making dinner in the kitchen. Elena Montez turned and smiled at her daughter. "Well there's my valedictorian," she said happily before noticing the slight frown on her daughter's face. "What's wrong, mija?"

Gabriella sighed. "It's nothing, Mom." She paused, seeing the skeptical look on her mom's face, so she continued, "I just feel like everything is happening so fast. I feel like this is the first time in my whole life that I've actually fit in and now I have to leave and start all over again. I guess I just wish that I could I put off college and just live in this moment forever."

Elena frowned and went over to hug her only daughter, and the only immediate family she had left. "Honey, growing up is hard but everyone has to go through with it and you don't have to start completely over." She paused, looking at her daughter carefully before continuing, "Troy sure had an interesting speech."

Gabriella frowned, sensing the direction of the conversation. It wasn't that she and her mom never talked about Troy. They had a very close relationship, especially after her dad had passed away when she was twelve. However, she always tried to steer the conversation away when her mom wanted to talk about anything deeper than the surface of her relationship. "Gabi, you can't avoid the topic forever. I know you don't like to get into the details of it, but the longer this goes on, the more I get worried that you're trying to hide something from me."

Gabriella opened her eyes wide in shock. "Mom, is that what you think? I'm not hiding things. I just feel like as soon as I start talking about how I feel, it'll all slip away. It seems like it's too good to be true and I don't want to jinx it by talking about it. I mean I've never really had the chance to have lasting relationships with anyone and now that I love someone, I'm so afraid that I'll lose that too." She stopped suddenly, catching her breath. That had all come out so quickly that she hadn't really thought about what she was saying until she said it.

"So you love him?" It was more a statement than a question.

"I…uh…well…I mean… yes." She held her breath, not sure what her mom would think about this new development.

Elena sighed and got a look on her face like she had finally accepted some known truth that she had expected for a long time but didn't really want to admit. "Well, I can't really say I'm surprised. The look you get on your face when you talk about him is enough. And, well, he looks at you like, well, like your father used to look at me and it's not hard to guess that he must feel the same way."

"He does." It was so final.

"Well then, I think it's time we had a talk about," she paused, eying her daughter in a new light, "About what it means to be a woman."

Two sets of dark brown eyes met in a heated stare: the older eyes, holding a determined glint of knowledge, the younger set holding a slight fear. But she would not back down. If she wanted her mother to respect her, than she would have to be brave in this moment. She had to let her mother have her piece or she would never be allowed to be alone with her boyfriend again. And Troy was not something she was willing to give up. Elena gestured to the table where they both went and sat down.

"So, first off, I want you to be totally honest with me. I promise I won't get mad but I will be mad if I find out that you're lying to me. Do you understand?" Gabriella nodded. Elena took a deep breath and looked into her daughter's eyes, afraid of what she might find. "Have you been intimate with him?" The question pierced the air like a needle to a balloon.

"No Mom. We've only kissed," Elena let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, "but…"

"There's a but?"

It was Gabriella's turn to sigh. "I would be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it. And...and I want to. I don't know when yet but I know that I want to be with him that way. We love each other and I want be able to-to feel it in every way. I love him emotionally and intellectually. I want to love him physically too." There was a moment of silence in which the air could have been cut with a knife it was so thick.

Elena had tears in her eyes as she gazed at her daughter. "I said I wanted you to be honest but I wasn't really expecting that. The way you talk about it…mija, it sounds like you're a lot older than you are. You just graduated from high school. You're still so young but honey, the way you just talked about sex…it sounded a lot more mature than what I would expect from an eighteen year old. But, then, I guess you've always been mature for your age. You were forced to grow up fast when-when your father died." They almost never talked about how Diego had died from cancer, after undergoing multiple surgeries and years of illness. Mother and daughter had both been crushed. They would talk about him sometimes but they generally preferred to focus on the happy memories and not the ones of hospitals and funerals. They missed him terribly and it seemed almost odd that they would talk about him now, when Elena was having the sex talk with her daughter. Both women had tears in their eyes now. The conversation had gotten so personal so quickly. This was far different from the talk about the birds and the bees they had had when Gabriella had hit puberty several years ago. This was more _real._

"Well," Gabriella began, finally breaking the silence, "I suppose you're going to forbid me from ever seeing him again now that I've admitted to you that I want to be with him physically."

"I didn't say that. Frankly, mija, I don't think that would do much good even if I did say that. Besides, I would much rather you be honest with me about it than sneaking around, which I am quite sure you would do if I were to try to separate you two. Love is a powerful thing." She gave her daughter a small smile with this and continued, "However, I do want you to promise me that you're not going to do anything until you are absolutely certain that you are ready. Your virginity is the most precious gift you have to give and you can only give it away once. I don't want you to do anything that you're going to regret later on. Also, I expect you to be safe. I am going to schedule you a doctor's appointment so you can get checked out and I want you to go on birth control. You should use a condom too. I don't want to be a grandmother yet. And, I want you to consider all the consequences. Accidents happen even when you're being careful and I want you to seriously think about what you would do if something happened. After you've done all this, you need to talk Troy about it too. And I mean _before_ you have sex. I know it's awkward to talk about but having sex is an adult thing and if you can't talk about it, then you're not ready-end of discussion."

Gabriella was scared. She couldn't remember the last time she and her mom had talked about anything so serious. In fact, she wasn't sure that they ever had. And she was shocked. She had never figured that her mom would basically give her permission to have sex before she was married. She had figured that it would just happen and she would pretend that it hadn't happened and her mom would pretend that she knew nothing about it even though she would have her suspicions. Somehow, having this conversation made the whole thing even scarier. Sure she had planned on using birth control and she loved Troy but now that she had talked about it with her mother, the whole thing just seemed so much more official like her mom would never look at her the same way again. What her mom had said was right. If she had sex, she would be an adult. Through and through, balls to bones. The thought of it was overwhelming to say the least. Her soft tears became heavy tears and she looked her mom in the eye once more. "I'm scared, Mom. I love him and he loves me but I'm still scared."

"Gabi, it's normal to be scared. It means a lot to give yourself to another person and sex is a very emotional experience. That's why I want you to be sure that you're ready because you can't take it back."

"I know mom, but he's the one. I know that we're young and that a lot can change but right now, it feels like forever. I love him so much that it hurts."

Elena nodded understandingly and pulled her only daughter into a hug. They sat there for a few moments, both absorbing the conversation. Finally Gabriella pulled back and looked at her mom questioningly.

"Mom, would you be upset if I did make love with Troy?"

Elena sighed. "Honey, I won't lie to you. The idea of my daughter, my only daughter at that, having sex while she's still a teenager and isn't married doesn't exactly thrill me. I would rather you wait and I'm not just saying that because you're young. I'm saying that because I love you and I would hate to see you ruin your future because of one mistake. You're so smart and beautiful and passionate and I just know that you are going to be so successful in life with whatever you decide to do. I just don't want to see everything you have worked so hard for slip down the drain because a condom broke. You're so much better than that. And it goes beyond getting pregnant. Sex is a big deal, even if you don't get pregnant. I know that you love each other but I'm going to say it one more time. Your virginity is special. His is special too but, as a woman, yours is even more special. Your first time is going to be awkward, uncomfortable, emotional, painful- but, mija, if you are really ready for it and you really love the person and you take your time and listen to each other, then it will feel like it is perfect. I don't want your first time to not be perfect. Do you get what I am trying to tell you?"

"Yes Mama."

"Good. Now having said all that, I won't be upset with you if you decide to do it. You're an adult now and this is a decision you need to make on your own and with Troy. Thank you for being honest with me."

"I love you Mom."

"I love you too, Gabriella. If you have questions about anything or if you need to talk about it, don't ever be afraid to come to me. I promise I won't judge you, no matter what it is."

"Okay." Gabriella nodded, giving her mom a small smile.

"Now, I better finish cooking. That boyfriend of yours will be here pretty soon with his parents and I'd hate for your graduation dinner to be without food. Go upstairs and get cleaned up and then you can come help me with the pie."

"Troy, are you almost ready to go?" Lucille Bolton asked her son, peeking her head into his room. Troy was sitting on the edge of his bed, holding a framed picture in his hand of him and his girlfriend that Lucille had taken of them after the spring musicale. He had a small smile on his face and an almost dazed look in his eyes. She walked into the room and sat down next to her son on the bed. "You really care about her don't you?"

Troy smiled even wider and nodded his head. "I love her."

She gave her son a long look. He loved her. And he had come right out and said it. He was clearly not shy about the subject and it made her wonder if there were other subjects related to his girlfriend that he wasn't shy about. She had grown to care about Gabriella a lot over the last year and a half that she had been dating her son and she thought of Gabriella as one of her children. She had always wanted a daughter but after having Troy, she and Jack had not been able to have any more kids. She supposed daughter-in-law would be the closest she would get and while Troy and Gabriella were still very young and many years away from that sort of thing, his son's girlfriend was the closest thing at the moment.

"Does she know you feel that way?" she asked, trying to get a little more insight into their relationship.

"Yes. And she loves me too." This revelation brought an even bigger smile to his face.

"Troy," she paused, giving him a questioning look. "I hope you're being careful."

The smile fell off his face very quickly and he jumped off the bed, giving his mom a shocked look. "Mom!" She had definitely taken him off guard with that comment.

"Troy, don't look at me like that. You're a teenage boy. I know where your thoughts go and it isn't always to your brain." She gave him a pointed look that suggested she meant business.

Troy let out a defeated breath, realizing he wasn't getting out of this one. "Mom, look, it's not what you think. I mean, we haven't even done anything."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It's not. I just-it's hard to keep myself under control. I mean she's so beautiful and just being around her makes me want to…" He cut himself off there. He had almost forgotten his mom was there but that's what Gabriella did to him. She drove him so crazy that just thinking about her made him forget everything else around him. She was his world. He blushed, realizing that he was about to say something that his mother would almost definitely not approve of. He dared a glance in her direction to see a pointed stare and a raised eyebrow. She clearly was not impressed and he quickly covered his words. "I mean, I just really care about her, that's all and I don't want to hurt her."

That seemed to get him slightly out of the hot seat, if only for a moment.

"Just promise me that you'll show her respect and won't put pressure on her. The first time for a girl is a very big deal and _if _she decides to share that with you, you need to be gentle and patient. And if you love her like you say you do then you'll wait for her until the next blue moon if that's how long she needs. Do I make myself clear?"

Troy gulped. "Yes ma'am."

"Good. Now that that's settled, let's go drag your father away from ESPN and go over there before the food gets cold." They both got up and started to walk toward the door but just before they got there, Troy stopped walking and turned to his mother.

"Mama, just so you know, she means the world to me and I would never ever do anything to hurt her. Ever."

"I'm glad, Troy. And I'm proud of you. My little boy is becoming a man…finally." She added the last part with a smirk, earning a "Hey" from her son. "Now come on. I'm hungry."


	2. Later?

**Thanks to everyone who read the first chapter. This chapter is kind of small but it was the right place to cut it off. I hope you in enjoy it. Let me know what you think.**

Chapter 2: Later?

There was a knock at the door and Gabriella jumped up from her spot at the table to answer it.

"Hey Baby," Troy said as he placed a sweet kiss on her cheek.

"Hi," Gabriella replied almost shyly. After the conversation with her mom earlier that afternoon, seeing Troy turned her into a blushing virgin when she remembered just what that conversation had been about. After they managed to pull away from each other's grasp for a moment that felt like a year to both of them, she greeted both his parents and led the way into the kitchen, where her mother was busy pulling the enchiladas out of the oven.

"Mmmm," was the sound Troy released from his mouth, "It smells delicious, Elena."

"Thank you Troy. Gabriella made the dessert. It's apple pie, which she tells me is one of your favorites."

Troy pulled the chair out for his girlfriend and whispered in her ear, "I bet it's almost as delicious as you." She blushed deeply, which did not go unnoticed by any of the parents in the room. As Troy took his own seat next to Gabriella, he could feel the intense gaze coming from his mother but chose to ignore it. The three parents filled in the table, Elena taking a seat next to her daughter, with Lucille on her other side and Jack taking the remaining seat between his wife and son. Dinner progressed to talks about the graduation ceremony and college.

"So, Gabriella, now that your freshman honors program is done, what do you plan to do during the summer?" Jack asked.

"Well, I thought about getting a job but then I decided I just want to spend my summer enjoying myself and hanging out with my friends. I never really had good friends until we moved here so I kind of just want to spend as much time with them as I can before college."

"Really?" Troy asked, "I thought being the overachiever that you are, you would want to hit the books. You know, so that everyone in your classes will be completely blown out of the water on the first day, when they find out that you already know everything," he half joked, giving her a fond smirk.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Shut up, Wildcat. You act as if I do nothing but study when you know very well I can get distracted just like everyone else."

"Hardly." He scoffed, "There is nothing on this whole planet that could distract you from your school work when you've put your mind into doing it."

"Well, there is one thing…" she trailed off, glancing down at his lips as she said it. Brown met Blue and it was as if they were by themselves completely. Like magnets, they unconsciously started to lean toward each other until the sound of Jack's throat clearing brought them back to reality. Both teens looked away and started to blush.

Meanwhile, the three parents seemed glued to the interaction between their children. The lustful looks Gabriella and Troy were giving each other were painfully obvious.

"Gabriella, why don't you serve up the pie?" Elena said to break the awkward silence that had fallen over the table.

She hopped up in response and hurried over to the pie. She proceeded to cut five slices and, after putting a dollop of whipped cream on the top of each, she carried them back to the table.

"Thanks Baby," Troy said, after being handed the biggest piece, to which he got a smile in response.

After dinner, the Boltons left and Troy and Gabriella retreated upstairs to her room while her mom cleaned up. They left the door slightly cracked so they couldn't be accused of breaking her mom's open door policy and then settled on her bed so they could cuddle together. Once they got comfortable with Troy sprawled out on his back and Gabriella lying along his side with her head on his shoulder and Troy's arm settled protectively around her back, they fell into a comfortable silence. They both were lost in their own thoughts, which were completely focused on each other. After a few minutes, Gabriella finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"Troy," she started, her voice soft and somewhat unsure as she prepared herself for what she was about to say. "You love me right?"

Troy turned his head to look down at her and smiled when they made eye contact. "Of course, Baby, more than anything." He noticed she was biting her lip as if there was something more she wanted to say. "What is it?"

"Well it…it's just that…well I…I mean we" Troy cut her off there.

"Just say it, Gabi. You don't have to be embarrassed about anything with me. I love you and I won't judge you, regardless of what it is."

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "Troy, when we're making out, do you ever feel like you want a little _more_?" Troy blushed a little but maintained eye contact with her.

"Yes," he said, "Gabi, if we're being totally honest here, I don't even have to be kissing you to want more. Just being in the same room as you makes me think about how badly I want to be close to you and touch you and do other things." He trailed off at the end of this statement, before continuing, "But, as badly as I want those things, I don't want to hurt you and I don't want to put pressure on you to do things that you're not ready for. Baby, I love you so much it hurts and I would be totally destroyed if I messed things up with you because I acted like a typical teenage boy and pushed you into something because I couldn't control myself. Every time we kiss, every time we touch, yeah I get urges but I care about you and, until you're ready, no matter when that is, I will wait for you."

Gabriella sighed. "Troy, as much as I appreciate how much of a gentleman you are, maybe I want you to act on your urges a little more." She blushed at her own boldness. "I have urges too, you know."

"Really? What kind of urges?" he replied with a grin. "What do you think about doing?"

"Everything," she admitted in a breath. The grin disappeared from his face and he grew serious again. "I want to take the next step with you, Wildcat, but I'm scared. I've never done anything like this before with anyone. You were my first kiss and my first boyfriend and my first love. I'm worried that I'm not going to know what to do."

"Baby, I'm scared too and I'm just as inexperienced as you are but we've always made a great team. This is something we can figure out together. You know what, though? I'm glad I'm inexperienced because I wouldn't want anyone else to be the person that I get to have these experiences with. I love you."

"I love you too."

She leaned up to kiss him and they both felt fire rush through them when their lips met. The kiss quickly grew heated as their tongues touched in a dance they both knew well. Troy wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her in closer to him. His fingers danced lightly along her back, enjoying the feeling of her warm body touching his. They fit together so perfectly as if they had been put on this earth just to be this way, wrapped up in each other. When Gabriella's hand started to creep up the back of his shirt, he broke the kiss suddenly. "Wait. I want this so much right now but your mom is downstairs and I don't want to have to rush with you." Gabriella let out a frustrated sigh. He was right, of course. She would be mortified if her mom walked in on them, but that didn't change the fact that every part of her wanted nothing more than to cross the line that they had so carefully kept in place until now.

"Later then?" she asked in a way that sounded so desperate, he had to fight hard to keep from launching at her and completely letting go, her mom be damned.

"Later." He promised.

As soon as Troy left to go home for the night, Gabriella grabbed her phone and pressed the two on speed dial.

"Hello."

"Taylor, it's Gabriella. Can we hang out? I need girl talk like whoa."

"Sure. Do you want to go shopping tomorrow?"

"Perfect. Does 11:00 work for you? We can get lunch first."

"Yeah, I'll see you there."


	3. Best Friend Knows Best

**Hey Guys! Here's another chapter. I've really been enjoying writing this story. I haven't written anything for quite a while until this but I feel happy with what I've come up with so far. Thanks for all the reviews you guys have given me. It makes me really happy to get some positive feedback. Without further ado…**

Chapter 3: Best Friend Knows Best

Gabriella got her mom to drop her off at the mall and jumped out excitedly when she saw that Taylor was already there. As soon as her mom drove off, she ran over to where Taylor was sitting on a bench and greeted her.

"Thank you so much for meeting me! I need your help."

"What for?" asked Taylor, with an expression of amused curiosity.

"Um, let's go sit down at the restaurant first. I'm starving."

The girls walked over to the diner that was right next to the mall and waited only a couple minutes before being seated. After ordering their food and drinks, Taylor leaned forward slightly, giving an anticipatory look to Gabriella.

"So, what did you want to talk about? Does it have to do with Troy?"

Gabriella nodded. "How'd you guess?"

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Oh please, like it wasn't totally obvious the minute you called me last night. Besides, what else could have you so excited? I don't know how you managed to get valedictorian considering that 99% of your brain is focused on Troy every waking minute and I imagine every sleeping minute as well." She said the last part with a smirk, causing her friend to blush.

"Oh come on, I'm not that bad." Gabriella said. Noticing the raised eyebrow on her friend's face, she added, "Usually."

"Whatever. Will you get on with it already? I've been dying to hear about this since you called me last night."

Gabriella sighed, trying to think where to start. She and Taylor discussed Troy and Chad and their respective relationships pretty often but they didn't usually go into a whole lot of detail in regards to the physical sides of their relationships. "I love Troy."

"Um duh. Is that really what you wanted to meet me about? Because, Honey, it's pretty damn obvious."

"No, that's not what I wanted to meet you about. Well, I guess it sort of is but it's not the whole reason. I love Troy and I want to be closer to him. You know, take it to the next level."

There was a short pause in which Taylor eyed Gabriella closely, as if she was trying to read her like a book. "Gabriella, what exactly is the next level, if you don't mind me asking?"

Gabriella blushed a little before responding, "Well…like…touching each other…and stuff."

"And stuff? Wait, what do you mean touching? Like third base or what? Don't tell me you've been dating for this long and you haven't even gone to second."

When Gabriella gave her a shy look and didn't say anything, Taylor almost jumped out of her seat. "You're kidding me, right?" Gabriella gestured wildly at Taylor to quiet down when they received some curious looks from other tables.

"I…what are the bases again?" Gabriella asked somewhat timidly.

"Oh girl, for someone who is basically a genius, there sure is a lot you don't know." Taylor smiled, before going into her teacher mode. "The bases are easiest to remember as the four F's. French, feel, finger, fuck."

"Oh, right, well in that case we've gone to…" she trailed off, realizing that they'd only really gone to first. Their hands had wandered some on occasion but it was always over top of clothes and neither of them ever got too daring with location.

Taylor seemed to come to the same conclusion soon after Gabriella did. "Oh. My. God. I can't believe it. I mean, I always knew you were kind of innocent, but I didn't realize it was that deep. How in the Hell have you gone this long without doing anything besides kissing?"

"I don't know," Gabriella started quietly, "I guess we just haven't had time."

"You haven't had time? You've been going out for like a year and half. How have you not had time?"

Gabriella let out an exasperated sigh. "I don't know, okay? I guess we've just always had stuff going on. I mean we make out and everything and-and I like it. We just always stop or get interrupted before we go any further." She took a deep breath, eyes downcast, as she started to get upset. "He's always been such a gentleman. I'm so naïve. He probably thinks I'm such a prude. Every time we've gotten close to taking the next step, I've gotten sort of scared. I don't want him to stop but I think he senses that I'm scared and he backs off."

"Hey, look at me." Taylor waited for her friend to tilt her eyes up just enough to make eye contact with her. "You are not a prude. And Troy loves you. It's totally obvious to everyone. I mean, he drove all the way out to California to get you. Have you talked to him about it at all?"

"Yeah. Last night we were lying together on my bed and I sort of brought it up. He said that he wants to be with me but he doesn't want to push me into anything. He's so sweet and that's one of the things I love about him. He always makes me feel like a princess. But, I want to experiment with him and I don't know if I'm bold enough to initiate it. I need him to make the first move."

"Well it's good that you talked about it. Communication is the key to a good relationship. What did he say?"

"That he wants me." She blushed but smiled at the same time. "I told him that I want him too and then we started kissing but we had to stop because my mom was downstairs. God, the sexual tension is killing me. I feel like we've been dancing around this for a while and, for some reason, the timing is never right."

"Gabs, when you guys are ready, I mean really ready, it will all work out. Trust me. If you really want it, you'll find a time to do it."

Gabriella sighed. She knew Taylor was right. The fact that she had never really had good friends until moving to Albuquerque sometimes made it hard for her to know how to be a teenager. Being a teenager was about being free and expressing yourself. It was about spontaneity. Ever since her dad died, everything she did was well thought out. Everything was done for the right reason. Her life was meticulously planned. Being with Troy had taught her how to have fun and let loose. She liked being the good girl but maybe it was time to adapt a little bit of teenager to her life. Maybe it was time to start doing things because she wanted to and not because they were necessarily the right thing to do. Maybe, for once in her life, it was time to really let go of some of her control. She loved Troy and she trusted him. It made perfect sense that he should be the one to bring out the spontaneity, the joy, the freedom, the _life_ in her. It was time. It was time to let go. "You're right. Thanks Tay. You always know the right thing to say to me when I'm freaking out. I'm so glad we're friends."

They smiled at each other. "Me too."

After they finished eating, they paid for their meals and headed over to the mall for some shopping. They went to several different stores and they both bought some new summer clothes. They spent their time chatting happily about school finally being over, their boyfriends, and life in general. Taylor seemed genuinely excited about Yale, telling Gabriella all about the dorms, campus, and classes the school had to offer. Gabriella loved Stanford and she had been dreaming about going there since she was a little girl but, somehow, the idea of going off to college was instilling an odd sort of fear inside her. Her whole life had been filled with frequent moves and constant change. She had gotten so used to it, not knowing anything else. Now that she had experienced being in one place and all that came with that, she found herself thirsting for stability. She was happy that Troy would be attending Berkeley and that they would be able to see each other relatively often but she wasn't stupid. College was a lot of work to begin with but factoring in Troy's basketball and any plays or musicals he might get involved with along with her natural studiousness and straight-A attitude, she knew that it would be hard to see each other very often. College was a time of severe change where people grew into the person they were going to be for their adult life. All of a sudden, the whole thing was incredibly overwhelming. For once in her life, she wanted everything to stay exactly as it was.

"Taylor?" Gabriella interrupted her best friend in the middle of a discussion about how Yale had originated. "As interesting as this is, do you think we could maybe, you know, not talk about college right now?"

Taylor seemed generally put out and also somewhat shocked that her best friend, the top student in their whole school and probably the state, didn't want to talk about something academic. Usually she could always count on Gabriella to get just as excited as her about academic topics that would have most people zoning out in boredom. "Really? You love school. I don't get it."

"I do love school but it seems like all my mom talks about is college now. Actually, it seems like all everyone talks about now is college. I guess I'm just kind of tired of the whole thing. Besides, is it so bad to want to live in the present? I'll worry about college when I get there. Until then, I'd rather just focus on right now."

"Who are you and what have you done with my best friend? I think I should tell Chad to kidnap Troy and keep him away from you until you go back to normal. He's definitely rubbing off on you. Next thing you know, you'll be getting A minuses instead of hundreds on everything. And so begins the apocalypse."

They both laughed. "Shut up. I do not get hundreds on _everything_." Seeing the look of incredulity on Taylor's face, she continued, "Sometimes I get ninety-nines…"

They both burst out in laughter, knowing full well that Gabriella's grades were as close to perfection as anyone could really get. She was basically a genius and her perfect score on the SAT was enough to prove it. She could have gone to any college she wanted to, easily. With her academic prowess, there were only a handful of students in the whole country who were on her level. She preferred not to talk about it, of course, but that didn't stop other people from doing so. She hadn't actually told everyone her SAT score because she didn't want people to judge her. At her other schools, people had either avoided her because they considered her a nerd or tried to be friends with her because they wanted her to help them with homework or some academic club. East High was the first place that saw her as more than just a brain. The last thing she wanted was to go back to being _that_ girl. As such, only Taylor, Troy, Chad, and her mom knew about her 2400 and she intended to keep it that way.

"Alright, so if you don't want to talk about college and considering we already talked about Troy, what do you want to talk about?"

Gabriella was silent for a moment and Taylor could tell she was fighting an internal battle on what to say. "Look, Gabriella, whatever it is, just say it."

Gabriella bit her lip before opening and closing her mouth a couple times. Did she really want to go there? "Gabs, spit it out."

"Okay, I was sort of wondering if you could tell me about…well…about what it's like."

"What? You're going to have to be a little more specific."

Gabriella released an exasperated sigh. "You know…sex."

Taylor raised her eyebrows as realization struck. "Oh. Well, it's fun." Gabriella was hanging onto every word in deep concentration as if she was studying for a final exam that she had to do well on to get an A. Seeing the look of unadulterated curiosity on her friend's face, Taylor said, "Are you really sure you want to hear about this from me?" When Gabriella nodded, Taylor sagged her shoulders, resigned to it. "Alright, but not here. There are some middle school boys wandering around like they own the place and I really don't need them to hear about my sex life. Come on, let's go to my house. My parents went shopping and they shouldn't be back for a couple hours."

Taylor drove Gabriella back to her house. When they got there, they made some popcorn and poured some drinks before retreating up to Taylor's room, where they made sure to close the door in case her parents got home. They plopped down on the bed and had a couple handfuls of popcorn, when Taylor broke the silence. "So, what do you want to know?"

"I don't know. I mean everything, I guess. Like, I heard it hurts the first time."

"Yes, it does. And you'll probably be sore afterwards too, but it's totally worth it. I mean, as long as you love each other, it'll be good anyway. It's special. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah." Gabriella blushed and smiled at the same time. Thinking about making love with Troy made her excited and nervous all in one. Then she frowned, remembering all her insecurities. "What if I'm not good at it? What if I can't make him orgasm and he never wants to do it again because I'm terrible?"

Taylor was shocked. "You're joking, right? He's a boy. Being inside you is going to feel like the best thing since basketball to him. Trust me, there is no way in hell he's not going to like it. And about being good at it…yeah, you're inexperienced but he is too. You're both going to have to get used to it. But, think about it from a scientific perspective. Knowing how to have sex isn't something you really have to learn. It's programmed into you. It comes naturally because it's part of survival. It's an instinct. You'll get better with practice but there's really only so bad you can be to begin with. Just be yourself and tell him what you're thinking and feeling. It's going to better for both of you if you're open and honest with each other."

"What about the other stuff?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, you know, outside of sex."

"It feels really good. You'll be amazed what you can do with your hands…and mouth." Gabriella was practically shaking with embarrassment but there was also a feeling of excitement that now took precedence in her mind. She wanted Troy, all of Troy, and she wanted to be his. For months now, they'd maintained a well laid boundary. It was time the boundary was stretched to the breaking point. It was time to let go of Troy and Gabriella to become TroyandGabriella; all one word, one thought, one feeling, one them.

"Thanks, Tay. I think I'm ready to free up my schedule."


	4. Dinner Date Sort Of

**So I am going to be out of the country for the month of July. I'm going to try to write one more chapter before then but I can't make any promises. One way or the other, I won't be writing while I'm away so don't expect another chapter until August. Anyway, I'm really excited about this chapter. It's the longest yet and I quite like it. I hope you do too.**

**Ah…chapter 4. Here we go.**

Chapter 4: Dinner Date…Sort Of

Gabriella was in the process of tidying her room when the sound of 'You are the Music in Me' filled the air. She smiled warmly and picked up her cell phone off the bed.

"Hey Wildcat!"

"Hey Baby. I miss you."

She smiled. She knew it was somewhat ridiculous that she and Troy could see each other almost constantly for a few days and then after just a few hours of separation, all she could think about was how much she missed him. She couldn't help it though. When it came to Troy, it grew deeper than a want. It was a need. She had always been a very independent person. She had spent her teenage years without a father and her mother always worked a lot so she had had to grow up and take care of herself. So it was almost odd to her how much she could miss Troy after only a few hours of not seeing him. It made her feel somewhat childish to need and crave another person's company so badly. Nevertheless, it never grew old to hear that he missed her too, that he needed her company as badly as she needed his. They were on the same page and even if other people couldn't always understand the subtle intimacy of their relationship, she felt comfort in knowing that Troy, at least, understood it. That was always enough.

"I miss you too," she said in voice filled with a deep sense of longing, as if the world depended on her seeing him.

"Well, do you have plans for dinner?"

"I don't know. Do I?" she responded in a flirty tone.

"Yes," he said excitedly, "I'll be there in ten minutes. Don't move."

She giggled, "You're crazy, Wildcat."

"And you love me for it. See you in ten." With that, he hung up, leaving Gabriella to wonder what the hell he had up his sleeve this time.

True to his word, Troy arrived on Gabriella's front porch shortly, bearing a single red rose and a smile. "Hey Baby. This is for you." He handed her rose and she reached out to take it, a cute smile forming on her face.

"It's beautiful. Thank you Troy." For a moment, they both just stood there and stared at each other, small smiles on their faces as their eyes wandered around the other's face. Words weren't necessary as they simply took each other in. After a moment, Troy reached out his hand to take Gabriella's in his own and he slowly turned and led her to his truck, holding the door open for her, before jumping in the driver's side.

"So, where are we going?" Gabriella finally asked, breaking the silence, as Troy pulled out of the driveway.

"You'll see." He smiled at her, knowing that she wouldn't let it go that easily. She pouted at him, but he wasn't going to give up the surprise. He turned his head slightly to smirk at her. "That's not going to work."

She let out a deep sigh in frustration. "Troy, please…" she said as she placed her hand on his thigh.

He took in a deep breath, calming down his libido which had jumpstarted the moment he felt her small hand touch his leg but he was determined to not give in. "Gabi, we'll be there in a minute, okay?"

At this, she looked around, realizing they were heading out of town to a place effectively named nowhere. "Troy," she began hesitantly, "you do realize we're moving away from all civilization and, therefore, anything resembling a restaurant, right?"

He smiled at this to himself, keeping his eyes on the road. "Who said anything about a restaurant?"

She was intrigued now, wondering what he had in store. Troy had a flare for the romantic which he would never admit to his friends but he absolutely loved to dote on Gabriella. After all, she encouraged the spontaneity in him just by existing. The least he could do is act on it and let his inner romantic let loose for his number one girl.

After a few more minutes, Troy turned off the road onto a small gravel street that Gabriella did not recognize. The small, windy road twisted back and forth until it simply ceased to exist when it reached a clearing in the woods. Troy drove the truck into the middle of the grassy clearing and cut off the engine there. Gabriella looked at him curiously, not sure where he was going with this. He hopped out of the truck and came around to let her out. Then, he pulled the tarp that was covering his truck bed away to reveal a picnic basket and a blanket with two pillows.

"I thought we could have a picnic and watch the sunset together."

Gabriella's eyes lit up right away. "Troy! This is so sweet. How did you think of this?"

"Well, I was driving out here the other day when I saw this road and realized I'd never been on it before and I was kind of curious where it went so I followed it down here and came to this amazing spot and I thought who better to share this with than you? And here we are. Do you like it?"

She nodded and said quietly, "It's beautiful, Troy."

He smiled, happy that she liked this spot as much as he had. He picked her up, laying her gently in the back of his truck before hopping in next to her. "So, we've got some turkey sandwiches, potato chips and, of course, chocolate covered strawberries." He handed her a sandwich and a bottled water to start out with and they both settled in close to each other and started eating. After a few minutes of silence while they ate, Troy finally spoke up. "So, what did you today? Anything fun?"

"Not much. I had a doctor's appointment. That was about it."

"A doctor's appointment?" he asked worriedly, quickly going into protective mode, "Are you sick?"

"I'm fine Troy. I just needed to get a prescription." This revelation did nothing to quell his worry.

"If you're not sick, why do you need medicine?" There was a strain to his voice as he questioned her.

She sighed; preparing herself for what she knew would be a serious conversation. "Troy," she began, "not all medicines are for sick people." She could see by the look on his face that he had no idea what she was talking about. She cleared her throat, knowing that her voice would break as she said her next sentence. "I'm going on the pill." The blank look on his face suggested that he had no idea what she was talking about. "You know…birth control." Suddenly, realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Oh…y…you mean like…like to stop from getting p…pregnant." He gulped as he made eye contact with her.

She nodded, never breaking the eye contact that he had established. "Yes. Troy, we need to talk about this." He nodded, too shocked and excited and nervous to speak. "I…I'm not quite ready yet to make love with you but I think…I think I will be soon and I just wanted to be prepared for…for when I am ready."

He took her hands in his, needing to touch her to give him the strength to have this conversation. "Gabriella, I understand and I'm glad that you're going on the pill because I want us to be prepared when we're ready to take that step. When we do make love, I want us to be responsible about it. You have such a bright future and I don't intend on ruining it. I love you and I'm excited to be able to show you in that way but, just so you know, you being on the pill doesn't change anything from my end. I don't want to pressure you into anything that makes you uncomfortable. Let's just take it slow and see where that leads us and when we get there, if we get there, we'll be ready."

She nodded. "Troy, I'm not ready yet to go there but we _will_ get there. And…while we're on the subject…I'm ready to, you know…experiment."

Troy's eyes opened wide in response. "Experiment?" he asked. She nodded in response. "Are you sure?" The words barely came out. He had never been so excited and so nervous for anything in his entire life. About this, he was absolutely sure.

"I'm sure. I love you, Troy."

She leaned in to softly brush her lips against his. The usual sparks were there, but they were accompanied by a tense excitement, a feeling so full of emotion, love, and a new thing that they both recognized but had never truly acted on: lust. Their kisses were soft and hesitant but the heavy feeling in the air was not lost on either of them. Troy's right hand reached up to touch her cheek, while his left reached around her to pull her warm body closer to his. Her hands came to rest around his neck, her fingers tangling in his hairline. Their light kisses quickly grew passionate as their tongues met in a lock of the French variety. The taste of each other never grew old. Somehow, after doing this a seemingly endless number of times, it still felt new each time they kissed. It still felt exciting and unique and special. They loved it. They loved being them. Together. Troy broke away from the kiss, to trail his lips along her jaw line, carving a trail to her neck. He nipped lightly on her earlobe and was rewarded with a gasp as his tongue trailed behind her ear. Gabriella could feel herself melting into him. Every touch, every kiss, every breath he took pulled her further and further under his control. She had never felt so free. She trusted him to take care of her in every way and letting him take care of her in this way felt so amazingly good. The feeling of his lips and his tongue and his breath on her neck was without a doubt the sexiest thing she had ever felt before. But then she felt his hand come to rest on her flat stomach. Her shirt had ridden up and his hand lay flush against her, skin on skin. Perhaps this was even better. Who was she kidding? It was all exhilarating and she wasn't about to let him stop. He had, though. His hand lay perfectly still and he pulled his head away from her neck to look her straight in the eyes. The gaze that fell between them was one of pure intensity. For that moment, they could see every feeling, every emotion that the other person was having. Gabriella reached down to put her hand on top of his, guiding him north.

"Touch me, Troy." It came out in a breath and the sound of it almost caused Troy to spontaneously combust. He had never been so turned on as he was right now which was saying something. He was a teenage boy, after all. He moved his hand slowly along her midsection, until he reached the lacy material of her bra. He continued around the side before cupping her still covered left breast. They both released a breath they didn't realize they were holding. Needing to feel more, Gabriella reached up to remove her shirt but Troy's hands caught hers on the way there.

"Can I?" He asked hesitantly.

She nodded. "Okay."

He grasped the base of her shirt and pulled it over her head in one fluid motion. He stopped then, as he gazed hungrily at the newly revealed skin. She reached forward and removed his shirt as well, setting them back to equal playing ground. Their lips moved back together in a magnetic pull as they both reached forward to feel each other. Gabriella's hands started at his shoulders and moved down his chest, loving the hardness of his strong muscles. Troy's hands reached around her back, pulling her to him. He gasped when he felt their bare skin meet for the first time. It was so incredibly hot. He grasped her jean clad butt and pulled her on to him, her legs falling easily around his sides. By doing so, their groins came together in a way that left Gabriella with little imagination about what lye between his legs. He sucked in a breath at the contact.

"Shit," he said breathily, his eyes slamming shut.

Gabriella bit her lip and rocked her pelvis gently against him, receiving a thrill when he sucked in a breath. "Does that…does it hurt?" She asked timidly.

"Fuck no! Baby, it feels so fucking good. I can't even tell you how much."

Intrigued, she repeated the motion and felt butterflies rise up her stomach at the look of pure pleasure on his face. She had never felt as powerful as she did in that moment, knowing from both the hardness between his legs and the expression on his face that she could make him feel that way. He hungrily started kissing her again, his tongue probing her mouth in a whole new level of intensity. His hands were wandering all over her bare back in ruthless abandon. When they landed on the clasp of her bra, he pulled away momentarily to look her in the eyes as he undid the clasp. After struggling with it for a moment, he swallowed as he felt the fabric falling forward down her arms. He pulled it the rest of the way off, his eyes never leaving hers as he did so. His hands fell on her waist and then slid gently along her sides until he reached her breasts. Tenderly, he cupped her left breast in his hand, relishing the softness of her skin. Her eyes closed upon impact and he laid her back, hovering over her body.

"God, you are so beautiful. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Troy."

Both his hands were now kneading her breasts with care as he brought his mouth down along her neck to her chest. His lips worked their way to the valley between her breasts. Feeling bold, he licked his way to her nipple, taking as much of her as he could into his mouth.

"Troy! Oh God." He swirled his tongue around her nipple, his blood rushing south at the sound of her moan. Leaving his hands on her chest, he brought his mouth back up to kiss her.

"Troy can I…I want…" Hearing his genius girlfriend struggling to come up with coherent sentences was such a rush. He loved knowing he could do that to her.

"What do you want Baby? You can say anything, remember? Don't be embarrassed."

"Troy, I want to…to touch you." Troy could feel his penis grow even harder just at the thought. He rolled off of her and lay on his back.

"I'm yours Baby. You can do whatever you want with me." She blushed at his comment but reached forward nevertheless and placed her hand lightly on his crotch. His eyes screwed tight as he jerked his hips up involuntarily. Feeling empowered, she undid the button and zipper on his jeans and pulled his pants down his legs, thankful that he had taken his shoes off earlier when they were eating. Once she pulled his jeans completely off, the tent in his boxers became very obvious. She lay down alongside him, propping her head up on her elbow. Then she reached her other hand out to grasp his length. To Troy, nothing had ever felt so amazing before and she hadn't even taken off his boxers yet. Just the thought of her hand flush against him was enough to make him shudder in ecstasy. She was driving him absolutely crazy. After she moved her hand over him for a few moments to get comfortable, she was ready to take the final plunge. She sat up and placed both hands at his waistband, curling her fingers around the fabric. She took a deep breath and then pulled the cloth down, releasing his erection to the air around him.

She hesitated for a moment as she took in his length with her eyes. She wondered briefly how he would fit inside her. She knew logically that he would but she couldn't help but feel slightly unsure at the thought. She was brought out of her reverie when she felt Troy's hand on her chin, pulling her line of sight to his face.

"Are you okay, Baby? Are we going too fast?" She shook her head and swallowed hard before reaching her hand out to touch him, only to be intercepted by his hand. She looked back up at him, wondering why he was doing this. Did he not want her to touch him? Was he trying to protect her? Or worse, did he not find her attractive?

"Gabriella, I love you and I can't tell you how badly I want this right now but please don't do this if you're not sure because…once you start…I'm going to need to finish." They both blushed at his comment, but even though this experience was awkward and new and foreign, they were still comfortable with each other. The bonds of trust they had started to form so long ago were there in full force now and they were relying on those bonds to pull them through this experience and come out of it even closer than before.

"I'm ready, Troy. I want this. I want you."

Their interlocked hands squeezed together one last moment and then Gabriella pulled away, placing her hand gently on his manhood. Troy let out something between a grunt and a moan as all intelligible thoughts left his head. All he could do in that moment was feel. "Shit!"

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly. He nodded his head violently in response, too excited to talk.

Slowly, Gabriella wrapped her slender fingers around his erection and started to move her hand gently up and down him. "Is this-am I doing it right?"

"Yes!" he blurted out, finally finding speech. "It's…shit…can you…tighter?" So maybe his speech was still a little hindered but he got the point across. Gabriella tightened her fist around him a little and began pumping him again.

"Is that better?"

"Mmmhmm." He was on fire. He had gotten himself off loads of times before but that was nothing like this. The soft, slim, feminine feel of her hand around him felt ridiculously good. She was so fucking perfect. And it was just her hand. An image of having her nude body under and around his almost made him lose control instantly. "Fuck-Gab-so-good."

"Troy, tell me what to do."

"Put your thumb on the t-tip." She followed his instructions, feeling his pre-cum on her finger. She spread it around his head with her thumb and moved her hand down his length again, spreading his liquid like lubricant. He moaned in approval and she repeated the motion a few more times, going back and forth between rubbing small circles over the tip with her thumb and pumping his length.

"Shit Baby, I'm close. Go faster…unh…please." She moved her fist up and down him in a quickening pace, eyes locked on his face in awe at the sheer pleasure she found there. After a few more thrusts, he came, her full name shooting from his mouth almost of its own accord. He fell back, eyes closed and panting. Gabriella lay down beside him, watching his face as he came down from his high. Finally, he opened his eyes and shifted his head to look at her.

"That was amazing. You're amazing." He kissed her softly on the lips and she smiled into the kiss.

"I was okay?" she asked, exuding an odd mix of both shy and confident.

"Baby, you were perfect. I love you."

"I love you, too."

They snuggled into each other and soon after fell into a peaceful sleep.


End file.
